Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a shock go to to Russian-occupied Ukraine’s Mariupol, state media reported Sunday.
The go to is his first to town because it was captured after a prolonged siege in the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The journey comes after an arrest warrant was issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC), over Russia’s alleged deportation of hundreds of Ukrainian youngsters through the battle.
Russia besieged Mariupol at first of its offensive final yr, destroying the Azovstal metal works, the final holdout of Ukrainian forces within the metropolis.
According to the state news company TASS on Sunday, Putin flew to Mariupol by helicopter Saturday and took a tour of town, at occasions driving a automotive.
He visited a number of websites and spoke with residents, and was offered with a report on the reconstruction work of town.
Putin’s cease in Mariupol comes after his shock go to to Crimea on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula’s annexation.
Russian state TV confirmed him visiting the Black Sea port metropolis of Sevastopol, accompanied by the native Moscow-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev.
Razvozhayev stated on the messaging app Telegram that Putin had been anticipated to participate within the opening of a youngsters’s artwork college by video hyperlink.
“But Vladimir Vladimirovich came in person. Himself. Behind the wheel. Because on such a historic day, the president is always with Sevastopol and the people of Sevastopol,” he stated.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a referendum that was not acknowledged by Kyiv and the worldwide neighborhood.
Addressing the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he aimed to take again Crimea, although Moscow has refused to incorporate it in attainable peace talks.
‘Void’ ICC warrant
Putin’s go to got here after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the “deportation” of Ukrainian youngsters.
Kyiv says greater than 16,000 Ukrainian youngsters have been deported to Russia because the begin of the battle in February 2022, lots of them positioned in establishments and foster properties.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan instructed AFP that Putin was now answerable for arrest if he set foot in any of the courtroom’s greater than 120 member states.
The 70-year-old Russian chief has not commented publicly on the warrant, however the Kremlin dismissed its validity as “void” since Russia didn’t acknowledge the ICC’s jurisdiction.
The Hague-based courtroom’s determination got here forward of Chinese chief Xi Jinping’s go to to Moscow on Monday to signal accords touted as ushering in a brand new period of ties.
China, a serious Russian ally, has sought to place itself as a impartial celebration within the Ukraine battle, urging Moscow and Kyiv to open negotiations.
But Western leaders have repeatedly criticized Beijing for failing to sentence Russia’s offensive, accusing it of offering Moscow with diplomatic cowl for its marketing campaign.
Grain deal prolonged
Meanwhile, within the Turkish capital Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated the 2 sides had agreed to increase a deal that has allowed Ukraine, a serious grain exporter, to renew exports after its Black Sea ports had been blocked by Russian warships. But there was disagreement over the phrases.
Ukraine’s infrastructure minister stated the deal had been prolonged for 120 days, however a spokeswoman for Russia’s overseas ministry stated Moscow had agreed to a 60-day extension.
The deal brokered by Türkiye and the U.N. in July 2022 had allowed for the protected passage of exports and had already been prolonged for 120 days in November.
The combating is now concentrated within the jap Donetsk area of Ukraine, notably town of Bakhmut.
Russian strikes hit the close by metropolis of Kramatorsk on Saturday, killing two individuals and wounding 10, stated regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, who accused Moscow of utilizing cluster bombs within the assault.
AFP journalists in Kramatorsk heard round 10 explosions go off practically concurrently simply earlier than 4 p.m. native time (2 p.m. GMT) and noticed smoke rise above a park within the southern a part of town.
A lady died on the scene from her wounds, they noticed.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
